GOOD CAUSES NEED VOLUNTEERS

America's young people need to learn the magic of giving and sharing for good causes.

A recent Gallup survey reports Americans are giving more and volunteering more. Yet it is the same reliable segment of the population that continues to share.Wealth doesn't have anything to do with it. The survey found that households with incomes under $10,000 annually contributed 2.8 percent of their earnings to charity in 1987, while those with incomes between $75,000 and $100,000 contributed only 1.7 percent.

When it comes to voluntarism, those who aren't volunteering say they simply haven't been asked.

According to an article in Gannett Foundation magazine, people who don't volunteer agree that contributions for good causes are important. But they haven't been approached by people they know.

"People aren't growing more selfish. We simply aren't reaching them," said Virginia Hodgkinson of Independent Sector, a national coalition focusing on philanthropy and voluntarism.

Salt Lake community activists should take heed from these survey results. An untapped army of volunteers may lie in single people who, according to the Gannett Foundation magazine, are usually less tied in to the community and good causes than married couples and families with children.

Our country was built on the efforts of loyal volunteers, who fought for noble causes without the benefit of a paycheck.

Our community would benefit from expanding its pool of available, supportive volunteers by reaching out to include those who haven't been involved before.

And for those who haven't been asked, the solution is still simple - just volunteer.